First Date!! Hello from Betong!

Hello, I am ST, a charming :)Malaysian Chinese lady. I have been living and working in Thailand for more than two years. To know more about me and my life in Thailand…date with me on thai-blogs!!

Ok, firstly let me give a little introduction about where I live.

I live in Betong. There are altogether five Malaysian-Thai border towns and Betong is one of them. Betong is located at the Southern most of Thailand and the town is only 7km from the Malaysian-Thai border. It is a district (amphur) of the Yala Province with an approximate population of 50,000, of which about 15,000 are living in the town. It is made up of multi-races with approximately 40% Muslims, 30% Chinese and 30% Thai. It was the base for the former jungle fighters of the Communist Party of Malaya and is considered as one of the most Chinese populated area in Thailand, and has the highest average per capita income among the three Southern provinces, Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani.

Being a Malaysian who lives and work here, where it takes only 7 km to reach Malaysia, it is easier for the people to fly to Bangkok through the Penang airport(1 ½ hour from Betong) than through Hat Yai airport(3 ½ hours from Betong). People often come to the Malaysian border town to have breakfast and go back to work…so as you can see, it is unavoidable for me to not mention about Malaysia once in a while!:)

Due to its unique locality, Betong has a long history of close diplomatic relationship with the Perak State of Malaysia. Due to the current unrest situation in Southern Thailand, more cooperation is needed to safeguard the security and economic activities of the two towns. On the 6th of August, the opening of the 330 million Baht Bukit Berapit new Immigration Complex, ( the only exit point to Thailand via land route in Perak state of Malaysia), a lot of Thailand senior officers are invited to join the grand opening ceremony officiated by the Sultan (King of State) of Perak and I am indeed honored to be one of the invited guest too !!.

The Thai called the Sultan as “ Sulatdtan ”. On that day, all invited guests from Thailand are excited, hoping to grasp the rare and valuable opportunity to greet the “ Sulatdtan ”. Betong Municipality has volunteered to contribute the fresh fish and prawns specially ordered from Trang for the Sultan and the other VIPs!! For me, being a Malaysian, I had never been so close to the Sultan when I was in my own country. Therefore it is indeed an exciting experience for me to meet and to politely chat with the Sultan of my own nation as a guest from Thailand! Let me show u some pictures…

This is the picture taken from the Malaysian border town-Pengkalan Hulu, a welcoming dinner for the Sultan the night before the opening ceremony day. Today, there are still quite a number of Thai living in the Northern part of Malaysia and maintaining the Thai culture.

80 responses to “First Date!! Hello from Betong!”

Sawadeekrap ST;
First of all we should know,why Malaysian go to Betong?I dare say that most of them wnt there just for one reason..to enjoy.I better not eleborate on what type.Actually Betong is more that that.There’s a lot of things one can do in Betong.The hotspring,the rapids,the river the cave etc.I’ve been to Betong a few times myself and I have a few Thai friends reside in Betong and I really have a good times there even without the karaoke or dicso.Most people know about Jockey club in Betong.The owner is a nice guy u can say for one.Everybody are friends there.For first timer,if you want to go,please choose during low periods and avoids the peak period.The rooms rates goes skyrocket at this time.Am I right ST?To know more..you better visit it once but dont expect anything like Hatyai or Bangkok for sure except the f/trade.Food is cheap and beware of conman!!!Take care of yourself and most important your money.haha!

Hi ST,
Have been to Betong a few times. Lovely town for R & R.and the cheap & delicious food. I especially love the morning walks up the hill to the stadium and swimming pool.Got to make friends with some locals and would like to add you to my list.My mobile phone 019-3366909. I’m coming to Betong with some friends on 5th to 7th August 2009 and would love to make your acquaintance. 23/07/2009

Hi everybody. Had been to Betong, it is a small town n peaceful. Good for relaxing your mind by visiting places like hotspring, Thai’s Cu Chi Tunnel. At night you can enjoy at your own budget. Just tepuk dada, tanya selera. One thing “if you r late, you might miss the bus”. Really fall in love with the town and it’s people (ladies lor). Be nice to them and respect each other, don’t make any “kecoh-kecoh”.

i went to betong for 4D3N trips.
guys trip of cause.
went to kongka disco.
girls are nice, and friendly.

any guy who going to visit there, be nice to them.
i miss one of them, i miss her so much.
i wish i can bring her back to KL, but i know its hard, its really hard.
i’ve been back to KL few days, but i still cant forget her, and she keep appears in my mind.
i miss her :'( i wish to go back !
just wanna spend more time with her.

Hi ST, will be going to Betong end of this month. Never been there before. Can you tell me what time the thai immigration open in the morning thai time. Is it safe to drive there? I may take a bus since I will be travelling alone. Plusliner stop at Bukit Berapit. Is it near the border? The bus will reach there at around 4 am. Is it safe to wait there? Appreciate your prompt reply

Just came back from a visit to Betong from Tuesday,(13-15, March, 2012) Found a nice, peaceful and relaxing escapade in River Inn Resort (Tel: +66(73)234175-234176.) Nestled in the outskirt of Betong town, this place is the perfect getaway for family week-end retreat especially, Penang folks ( 2.5 hrs drive).Booked room 3328 overlooking the river flowing below and surrounded by lush foliage and greenery. Early morning greeted by birds chirping, sound of flowing river and fresh clean air. Highly recommend for people who need R & R or writers, musicians who need inspirations. This is the place!

Hi I am planing to visit betong end of this month been there several time. But this time i would like to visit some good places like the buddist temples , good foods , better hotels , visit some villages and etc can any none recommend me any good guide that can be trusted …thanks

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